A pair of stunning knockouts, plus the main event war between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington took home the bonus money at UFC 245.
If you were a fan of Kamaru Usman, or just wanted to see Colby Covington quieted for a few minutes, than Saturday night was your night. UFC 245 in Las Vegas featured Usman vs. Covington in the main event, and after two other title fights had gone the distance, the diametrically opposed pair finally threw down. The grudge match had been brewing for the better part of a year, and while Covington had scaled back some of his antics during fight week, there was still a bill to be paid.
He paid it in the fifth and final round, after a hotly contested battle that at times got a little dirty. Usman would drop Covington late, earning the TKO finish, and first defense of his welterweight title. ‘Chaos’ would protest the stoppage both in the cage and online, but there was little to be upset over.
They settled it in the Octagon!
💰 50Gs – @Usman84kg vs @ColbyCovMMA – @ToyoTires pic.twitter.com/nWJtQljZXY
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2019
Maybe an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night will help Covington cope with the loss.
Performance of the Night bonuses, meanwhile, went to Petr Yan and Irene Aldana. Yan scored a huge head kick knockout on Urijah Faber in the third round of their PPV-opener at UFC 245. That came on the heels of a dominant second round where Faber was down and out on several occasions, but somehow battled back.
For Aldana, she cashed in with a shock knockout of Brazil’s Ketlen Vieira. More than the money, Mexico’s Aldana has now earned herself a spot the title picture — although boxer Clarissa Shields, who turned up backstage at UFC 245, could muddy the waters should a boxing or MMA bout be booked with Amanda Nunes.
